A4
East Oregonian
Thursday, February 21, 2019
CHRISTOPHER RUSH
Publisher
KATHRYN B. BROWN
Owner
DANIEL WATTENBURGER
Managing Editor
WYATT HAUPT JR.
News Editor
Founded October 16, 1875
OUR VIEW
Who has the best climate change plan?
“C
limate change is real,”
reads the opening
line of a recent op-ed
penned by U.S. Rep. Greg Walden and
two fellow Republican congressmen.
It was repeated by Walden during his
town hall Monday in Boardman.
It’s a declaration most Republicans
are now willing to endorse, though
with varying levels of commitment.
To his credit, Walden began publicly
affirming the reality of climate change
more than a decade ago.
Others have been slower to come
to the table, a reluctance exacerbated
by President Trump’s purposefully
foolhardy treatment of the dangers,
where global warming could be called
in to save the day after a frigidly cold
weekend in the Midwest. It’s a joke
he’s repeated on Twitter in the past.
But more concerning is Trump’s
assertion that intelligent people like
himself aren’t necessarily “believ-
ers.” His lack of belief — as if it were
a matter of faith and not science —
runs counter to reports from every
federal agency. And because Trump-
ism requires unwavering commitment,
many have been unwilling to take that
step.
Walden goes on in the op-ed to
pick at the Green New Deal, a rough
plan by House Democrats to take a
big swing at climate change by forc-
ing major reform across government
and industry. As we addressed in
this space yesterday, there are prob-
lems with the plan that would do more
harm than good to agriculture in par-
ticular if implemented as prescribed.
It’s a solid reason to have an elected
and diverse body creating policy
rather than a central administration.
But we have to say, we’re wary of
Walden’s broad claim that Republi-
cans have a better solution to climate
change than Democrats. It’s hard to
fathom that a party still coming to
terms with the fact that the climate
is changing should be trusted to lead
the way on innovation to mitigate the
effects and prepare for the impact.
Walden took questions on climate
change at both the public and private
venues on Monday. At the open meet-
ing in Boardman, a resident of The
Dalles pushed the representative on
why he hadn’t done more while chair-
ing the Energy and Commerce Com-
mittee to address the topic.
Walden wasn’t silent during his
term as the chair, nor at the town hall.
He held hearings on modernizing
energy infrastructure and the impact
of wildfire smoke.
Energy production is an area where
Republicans and Democrats should
be able to find common ground. As
Walden rightfully pointed out, “We
helped create this mess, we should
help clean it up.”
That will come only from purpose-
ful collaboration. It also takes the real-
ization that the situation is dire — that
we are living in the realities of cli-
mate change now, and our best hope is
a bold plan developed from meaning-
ful work of those committee meetings
and not grandstanding.
OTHER VIEWS
A nation of ‘Weavers’
I
YOUR VIEWS
Press is in cahoots with
anti-Trump forces
The liberal socialist-controlled
press uses doctored and/or mali-
cious falsehoods to advance their
global anti-American agenda.
Need evidence?
A recent front page East Ore-
gonian article illustrates the dan-
ger of false/fake news: “Solidarity
walk focuses on unity.” The writer
(one of the very best) and march-
ers were deceived by fake news.
Nathan Philips was not a Vietnam
veteran, nor was he mocked by the
student that supported President
Trump’s MAGA vision, nor were
the Covington students disrespect-
ful. Video footage illustrates that
Philip initiated the confrontation,
not the students.
Truth, journalistic integrity and
honor matter not to the global left.
Disappointingly, the EO has
issued no retraction for their false
news. America’s national news
organizations (CNN, CNBC,
ABC, CBS, NBC, USA Today,
Newsweek, Time, Buzz Feed,
major newspapers, the AP, etc.)
are nothing more than the commu-
nication arm of the present social-
ist democratic party.
Any person of political merit
that supports President Trump’s
administration has been ruthlessly
attacked by the press and Muel-
ler inquisition. Mueller has unlim-
ited power, unlimited resources,
and absolute cover by the national
press and media to destroy a duly
elected president. Roger Stone is
a classic example of the ominous
danger of the Mueller inquisition.
Stone was targeted by Mueller for
one reason: he supports President
Trump.
This man posed no threat to
anyone. He had no police record.
He had cooperated with Mueller’s
interrogators. How did Mueller
treat this Trump supporter? Twen-
ty-nine SWAT team members
in full tactical gear with assault
weapons, backed by 17 police
vehicles, including two armored
vehicles, a helicopter overhead
and amphibious vehicles in the
back, broke into Stone’s home at
dawn and placed him in shackles.
Next Stone will be bankrupted by
Mueller’s taxpayer-funded law-
yers in order to blackmail him into
turning on Trump.
This Mueller inquisition is a
covert operation with the liberal
national press and media. Fake
news is deadly to a republic that
requires and depends on a fair,
objective news media that exer-
cises journalistic integrity. It was
no mistake that CNN was on the
ground when Roger Stone was
taken violently from his home
because Mueller can not con-
tinue this inquisition without their
cover.
To those who support President
Trump and his agenda, beware.
Without a fair and unbiased press
and media, liberty, justice, free-
dom and our American republic
will not endure.
Stuart Dick
Irrigon
Unsigned editorials are the opinion of
the East Oregonian editorial board. Other
columns, letters and cartoons on this page
express the opinions of the authors and not
necessarily that of the East Oregonian.
start with the pain. A couple times a
folks in the hospital.
week I give a speech somewhere in
We’re living with the excesses of 60
the country about social isolation and
years of hyperindividualism. There’s a lot
social fragmentation. Very often a parent
of emphasis in our culture on personal free-
dom, self-interest, self-expression, the idea
comes up to me afterward and says, “My
that life is an individual journey. But Weav-
daughter took her life when she was 14.”
ers share an ethos that puts relationship
Or, “My son died of an overdose when he
over self. “We” precedes “me.”
was 20.”
Whether they live in red or blue Amer-
Their eyes flood with tears. I don’t know
D aviD
ica, they often use the same terms and
what to say. I squeeze their shoulders, but
B rooks
embody the same values — deep hospital-
the crying does not stop. As it turns to
COMMENT
ity, showing up for people, putting town
weeping they rush out of the auditorium,
before self. I met one guy in Ohio who
and I am left with my own futility.
stood in the town square with a sign: “Defend
This kind of pain is an epidemic in our society.
Youngstown.”
When you cover the sociology beat as I do, you see
The trait that leaps out above all others is “radi-
other kinds of pain. The African-American woman
cal mutuality”: We are all completely equal, regard-
in Greenville who is indignant because young
less of where society ranks us. “We don’t do things
black kids in her neighborhood face injustice just
for people. We don’t do things to people. We do
as gross as she did in 1953. The college student in
things with people,” said a woman who builds com-
the Midwest who is convinced that she is the only
munity for teenagers in New Orleans.
one haunted by compulsive thoughts about her own
Being around these people has been one of the
worthlessness.
most uplifting experiences of my life. Obviously,
They share a common thread: our lack of healthy
it’s made me want to be more neighborly. But it
connection to each other, our inability to see the
has also changed my moral lens. I’ve become so
full dignity of each other, and the resulting culture
impatient with the politicians I cover! They are so
of fear, distrust, tribalism and strife.
self-absorbed! Weavers live for others and are more
On Dec. 7, 1941, countless Americans saw that
joyful as a result.
their nation was in peril and walked into recruit-
ing stations. We don’t have anything as dramatic
The big question is how do we take the success
the Weavers are having on the local level and make
as Pearl Harbor, but when 47,000 Americans kill
it national? The Weavers are building relationships
themselves every year and 72,000 more die from
one by one, which takes time. Relationships do not
drug addiction, isn’t that a silent Pearl Harbor?
scale. But norms scale. If you can change the cul-
When the basic norms of decency, civility and
ture, you can change behavior on a large scale.
democracy are under threat, isn’t that a silent Pearl
Culture changes when a small group of people,
Harbor? Aren’t we all called at moments like these
often on the margins of society, find a better way
to do something extra?
to live, and other people begin to copy them. These
My something extra was starting something nine
Weavers have found a better way to live.
months ago at the Aspen Institute called Weave:
We at Weave — and all of us — need to illumi-
The Social Fabric Project. The first core idea was
nate their example, synthesize their values so we
that social isolation is the problem underlying a lot
understand what it means to be a relationalist and
of our other problems. The second idea was that this
not an individualist. We need to create hubs where
problem is being solved by people around the coun-
try, at the local level, who are building community
these decentralized networks can come together for
solidarity and support.
and weaving the social fabric. How can we learn
I guess my ask is that you declare your own per-
from their example and nationalize their effect?
sonal declaration of interdependence and decide to
We traveled around the country and found
become a Weaver instead of a ripper. This is partly
them everywhere. We’d plop into cities and small
about communication. Every time you assault and
towns, and we’d find 25 to 100 community “Weav-
ers” almost immediately. This is a movement that
stereotype a person, you’ve ripped the social fabric.
doesn’t know it’s a movement.
Every time you see that person deeply and make her
or him feel known, you’ve woven it.
Some of them work at organizations: a vet-
eran who helps other veterans with mental ill-
I ask that you in your context think about what
nesses in New Orleans; a guy who runs a boxing
little extra you can do to be a neighbor, citizen and
gym in Appalachian, Ohio, where he nominally
Weaver. I ask you to have faith. Renewal is build-
ing, relationship by relationship, community by
teaches young men boxing, but really teaches them
community. It will spread and spread, as the sparks
life. Many others do their weaving in the course of
fly upward.
everyday life — because that’s what neighbors do.
———
One lady in Florida said she doesn’t have time to
David Brooks is a columnist for the New York
volunteer, but that’s because she spends 40 hours
Times.
a week looking out for local kids and visiting sick
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